After a nervy start in both the games, Saina upped her game, particularly after the interval mark. Lohaynny put up a brave fight in front of a packed house that was cheering for her. In the end, the experience of the former number 1 proved to be too much for her, and the Indian is off the mark in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She next faces Marija Ulitina of Ukraine on Sunday.

Some really smart play by Saina at the end of the first game and mid-way through the second, but she'd have wanted to put a little more distance between herself and her opponent. Still, Lohaynny was playing in front of a packed crowd cheering every point she won, so Saina did well to block that out and do her job. All said and done, this is a decent start to the Indian's campaign!

Lohaynny is now looking rather frustrated, waving her racquet in exasperation and looking to the crowd for help. But it doesn't seem like she has much left in the tank to hold off the hard-charging Indian.